Air circulating and cleaning device



Aug. 30, 1932. c. L. REDFIELD AIR CIRCULATING AND CLEANING DEVICE Filed Jan. 15, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w Y\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\k Z Y. m f V. ////////A I I IIIIIIIINHIIIIIW 'Aug- 1932- c. L. REDFIELD 7 ,0

AIR CIRCULATING- AND CLEANING DEVICE Filed Jan 15,1931 ZSheets-Sheet 2 A @wmam Patented Aug. 30, 1932 CASPER L. REDFIELD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS am cmouL ArrNG AND CLEANING DEVICE Application filed January 15, 1931. SeriaLNo. 509,002.

My invention relates to air circulating and cleaning devices and has for its object the production of a device which will accomplish both results simultaneously, and also will serve other purposes, as will be set forth 'hereinafter.

In artificially heated rooms, in homes, ofiices and elsewhere,t he temperature of the air near the ceiling is considerably higher '10 than that near the floor. A common diflerence in temperature is one degree for each foot in elevation from floor to ceiling. One object of the present invention is to equalize that difference by producing a vertical 16 circulation of the air in the'room.

The air we breathe in living rooms is heavily dust laden, and breathing dust laden air is unhealthy. A second object of my invention is to eliminate dust from the air which is circulated.

A third object of my invention is to make the device in a form so that it becomes a part of anordinary article of furniture without being seen as bein anything other than part .25 of the article of f iirniture itself. Thus, the device complete, with slight additions, may appear as being nothing other than an ordinary floor lamp. Or it may appear as an ordinary-table or stand with a lamp supported in the center thereof. In this case, one part of the devicewould appearas the pedestal of the table and another part appear as a lamp standing on the table. Or, by the addition of hooks or pegs, it may appear as a hat-tree.

In the accompanyingdrawings Fig. 1 is a vertical central section, partly in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan; Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a partial detail; and

Fig. 5 shows the device acting as a floor lamp in .addition to its functions as an air circulating and cleaning device. I

The body of the device is a casing consisting of a lower or base member l0rand an upper or cap member 11. These members may be light castings as shown, or may be built up from plates and pieces of tubing.

They are secured together by bolts 12 which pass thru tubes 13 for spacing the members from each other.

The member 10 is in the form of a circular plate having feet 14 which rest on the floor. In the center of this plate is an opening 15, and surrounding this opening is an upwardly extending ring 16 having a shoulder 17. I

The member 11 is in the form of an inverted cup, the depending flange 18 of which extends downward to a point slightly below the level of the upper edge of ring 16. The member 11 also has a short depending ring 19 located directly above the ring 16. Rising from the center of member'll is a dome 20 ending in a boss 21, and secured in this boss is a pipe or tube 22 communicating with the interior of the device.

Suspended from the dome 20, by means of bolts 23 extending thru pieces of tubes 24,

is acase 25 which contains an electric motor.

The case 25 is a cylinder somewhat larger in diameter and longer than necessary for the motor which it contains. The shaft of the motor extends thru the lower end'of the case 25 and carries a fan 26 which runs in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 3.

Surrounding the case 25, and resting on the shoulder 17, is' a helix 27, of wire, the upward trend of the coils of which is in the same direction as the fan movement. The pitch of the coils-of the helix may be anything desired, but ordinarily would be such that the distance between coils would approximate the diameter of the wire of which. the coils are made.

Secured to the lower inner face of the flange 18is aerate (Figs. 1 and 4) consisting of rings 28 and 29 connected together by radial plates 30. These plates are to arrest the rotary movement of the air above so as to have only still air below said plates 30.

Resting on the base 10 outside of the ring 16 aredust pans 31 which have their outer corners notched as illustrated in Fig. 3 to accommodate the connecting devices 1213. Resting on the outer edge of base 10, and fitting easily on the flange 18, is a loose ring 32. By lifting the ring 32, the dust pans may be removed and inserted.

' ings 34 to permit air to enter.

On the top of the case 25 are binding posts 33 for electrical connections to operate the motor, and in the top of the case are open- In the lower head .of the case are similar openings (not shown) so that air may flow thru the case 25 to cool the motor. In the operation to be described, part of the air which goes upward along the outside of case 25, returns to the fan thru the case.

In operation, the high speed of the fan 26 gives a rotary motion to the air with which it is in contact, and this results in a centrifua i ng 15 and forces it whirling upward in contact with the surface of the case 25. In this action, the primary centrifugal force of the whirling air is resisted by the ring 16, and this ring rises to a point above the rounded lower art of case 25. That is, the upper part 0 cylindrical portion of the case 25 form the beginning of a channel which guides the whirling air upward in a thin ring. Above this beginning, the rising column of air is guided by the open work helix 27, and the air in the device outside of the helix.

The construction set forth makes that part between the rings 16 and 19 into a centrifugal separator in which the dust in the air entering thru opening 15 is discharged from the rising column of air and deposited in the dust pans 31. a

It is to be observed that'the rising column of air is a thin annular body revolving at high speed. Because of this thinness, the dust is quickly separated by centrifugal force and sent between the coils of the helix and into the space over'the dust pans 31. As a consequence, no great length of helix is required.

j a similar but slower rotary bodies of air Because the rising column of air within the helix is revolving at high speed, and is in partial contact between the coils of the helix with the annular body of air outside of the helix, that outer body of air is given movement. This rotary movement causes the dust which passes between the coils 27 to continue to move outward toward the wall 18. As the points of contact between the inner and outer follow the coils 27, the air outside of and adjacent to those coils moves slowly upward and the air adjacent to the wall 18 moves slowly downward. This particular circulation of the air in the annular space outside of the helix acts to carry the dust downward to the pans 31.

In Fig. 5, I have shown an arm 35 clamped to the upper part of the tube 22 and supporting a shade 36 for an electric lamp. It will thus be evident that the tube 22, rising as a column from the previously described apparatus as a base, may be used as a support for other articles of household furniaction which draws air in thru the open coldest air in contact with the floor.

the ring 16 and the lower part of the ture. As a. consequence, this devicemay be added for comfort and health without appearing as somethin added to furniture or taking up space needed for other things.

Referring to Fig. 5, the tube 37 telescopes into the tube 22 and is clamped at any elevation by means of the nut 38. The reasons for this are to make the device adjustable for height and to have the air passing thru the device delivered close to the ceiling ofo the room.

The fans ordinarily used in residences and restaurants, churn the central layers of the air without having sensible effect upon the hottest air in contact with the ceiling orthe This device draws the coldest air from contact with the floor and delivers it to the ceilin over the hottest layer without churning e feet on the intermediate layers. The results ere an addition to comfort and a saving in uel.

In some places, particularly in cities, the air is heavily dust laden, and the dust separating feature is important. In other places, there may be very little dust carried in the air, and dust elimination may be unimportant. In such places, a cheaper form of device may be made by uniting rings 16 and 19 into one ring, and omitting the helix and all parts outside of ring 16-19. Made in that way, the device will equalize room temperatures without acting as a dust separator. In this form of device, the fan may be in the propeller form instead of the form shown in the drawings.

Whether the device is in its simpler or more complex form, it is a portable device which may be moved about from place to place, or may be moved from room to room. This last is desirable when two rooms are connected by a wide doorway, the upper part of which is a considerable distance below the ceiling. In such cases, the air above the doorway is trapped. and may be excessively hot when in the adjoining room the air is nearly uniform in temperature from floor to ceiling. In such cases, the tube 37 may be lowered, the device moved into the adjoining room, and the pipe 37 again elevated.

What I claim is 1. In a room having relatively cold air in contact with its floor and relatively warm air in contact with its ceiling, a temperature equalizing device consisting of a. power driven fan and a case therefor, said parts being so arranged that the fan draws air from the layer adjacent to the floor and projects it in a column to the ceiling.

2. In a device for use in a living room and having inlet and outlet openings for air near floor and ceiling respectively of such room, means for giving air passing thru said device a combined rotary and translatory movement at high speed, and a receptacle for receiving short distance above the floor an central opening,

dust separated from the air by the rotary movement thereof.

3. A cylindrical casing having a vertical axis, a motor and fan suspended at the axis of the casing, said casing having an inlet opening adjacent to the fan and an outlet opening adjacent to the motor, a helical coil of wire surrounding the motor and fan and dividing the surrounding space into inner and outer annular spaces, and a dust receptacle in the lower part of the outer annular space.

4. A casing having a motor and a fan supported at the axis thereof, a helix of wire surrounding the motor and fan and spaced therefrom, and a dust receptacle in the lower part of the space surrounding the helix.

5. A centrifugal separator consisting of a cylindrical case and a helix of wire dividing the interior of the case into central and annular spaces, means for forcing air thru the helix with a high speed rotary movement, and a dust receptacle in the lower part of the annular space.

6. A centrifugal separator consisting of a cylindrical case, a cylindrical body at the axis of the case, and a helix of wire dividing the space around the body into inner and outer annular spaces, in combination with means for causing air to pass thru the helix with a rotary movement.

7. A centrifugal separator consisting of furniture. I

CASPER L. REDFIELD.

a casing, a cylindrical body at the axis of the casing, a cylindrical shell with partly open Wall dividing the space between the casing and the body into inner and outer annular spaces, and means for forcing air thru the inner annular space with a whirling movement.

8. A casing, a cylindrical body within the casing, a shell surrounding the body and leaving a narrow annular space between the two, the wall of said shell beingprovided with openings which will permit communication outward from the annular space, and

,means for forcing a gas thru the annular space with a whirling movement.

9. In a room having cold air in contact with its floor and warm air in contact with .its ceiling, means for removing air from the .coldest layer in contact with the floor and delivering such cold air to the ceiling over the warmest air without at the same time agitating the intermediate layers of air.

10. A horizontal base plate supported a having a a fan located above said opening and acting to draw air therethru, and a tube serving to convey the moved air and deliver it at the ceiling above the floor.

11. A portable device having an inlet adjacent to a floor and an air outlet adjacent to the ceiling over the. floor, and a motor and fan enclosed by said device move air from the inlet to the outlet.

and operating to r 

